AMRITSAR: A big scandal pertaining to the alleged use of substandard material for erecting the security fence on the indo Pakistan border in the Punjab sector has come to light.

The scandal having serious security and financial implications has been corroborated following revelations that the quality reports of the material used for the multi-color fencing project were issued without even receiving samples, not to speak of conducting the required tests by the quality marking center of the Industries Department here.

This has put a question mark on the efficacy and durability of the ambitious project, which has cost the government a fortune and is so vitally concerned with the defense of the country.

It is alleged that to specifications laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) and the CPWD, which got the project executed, on the use of the fencing material were thrown to the winds in connivance with quality testing officials. Huge amounts are reported to have changed hands in the scandal.

According to well-placed sources, the Punjab Government has taken a serious note of the “bogus” quality reports prepared on the fencing material and subsequently two senior officials of the quality marking center have been placed under suspension. The action follows an inquiry ordered by the Secretary, Industries, T.K.S.Nair.

The Ministry of Defense is also understood to have initiated an independent probe into the matter.

Confirming the suspension of a senior technical officer and a junior officer, Nair told TNC on the telephone. From Chandigarh that the Director, Industries, who had conducted preliminary probe into the complaint had found a primacy case. A thorough departmental probe would follow to “fix responsibility in to irregularities the quality testing reports, he added.

What has given a new twist to the scandal is the fact that important files relating to tare missing from the center after the suspension orders were served in the last week of last month. Allegations are that two senior bureaucrats of the Punjab Government are trying to hush up the case.

After the border fencing project fully aided by the Central Government was started in 1988, the quality marking center situated here was entrusted with the task of quality determination of the material to be used. It used to receive samples from the sub divisional offices of the CPWD from Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Ferozepore.

However, even without having the proper testing facilities, including machines, apparatus and qualified and trained staff, the center has been issuing detailed reports of the quality of the materials. As no samples were sent to the laboratory for testing, the counterfeit quality reports were reportedly sub mitted 10 the CPWD, allegedly at the behest of contain unscrupulous contractors engaged in the project execution.

As per the specifications of the BIS, a number of tests, including hardness test, compression test, dimensional test, brand stand in the test, are required to be done on the material during its mechanical and chemical analysis of its samples.

The cost incurred on fencing the 1 km border stretch was 0 the tune of R.s 16 lakh or even more, Is alleged that instead “of using the standard quality wire costing R.s 37 a kilogram, substandard wire of 8s 17 per kg was put up at several border stretches.

Serious discrepancies in the testing procedures at the center are evident from the haphazard manner in which the reports were issued. For completing each test on every sample, at least 24 hours are needed; the center received 13 letters from different subdivisions asking for the test reports of sample son March 25 and 26 this year.

Intriguingly, documents available show that all reports were sent back on March 26, which was not unmanly possible, obviously, the quality reports were issued without even opening the samples.

During the course of the probe, an Assistant Director rank officer of the Industries Department had found that the staff concerned was unable to perform the testing in the “absence of proper competence to do so”.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 29, 1991